Patent Business Lawyer in Asia

In India, an application for patent only goes through examination when a request for such examination is made to the Controller of Patents within a period of 48 months from the date of filing of that patent application, or from the date of priority of the first mentioned patent application, or within a span of 6 months from the date of filing of a further patent application such as a Divisional Application, whichever is later.

PCT National Phase Application in India

In case of a PCT (Patent Corporation Treaty) National phase application, an express request, along with a prescribed fee according to Rule 20(4)(ii) of the Patents Rules, 2003 (as amended), for examination can be made before the expiry of 31 months from the priority date of the said PCT national phase application. Once the express request has been made, the Controller is required to pass on that application to an examiner, and the examiner is then required to summarize and prepare an examination report within 1 month but not exceeding three months.

India’s federal Ministry of Commerce and Industry {Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion} in 2016 introduced new provisions under the Patents Rules, 2003, which permits a patent application to move out of turn for a faster prosecution. According to the new provisions the Indian Patent Office (IPO) are progressing applications out of turn for the examination if a request for expedited examination for an application along with the prescribed fees filed under Rule 24C of the Patents Rules, 2003 (as amended).

Expedited Patent Examination

However, the provision for expedited examination is only available to, startups and applicants who have designated “India” in their respective PCT applications, as an International Searching Authority (ISA) or International Preliminary Examining Authority (IPEA). Therefore, selecting India as ISA in a PCT application can be favorable for the Applicants to expedite grant process of corresponding PCT national phase Indian application. Under the expedited examination, the examiner is obligatory to give the First Examination Report (FER) within 1 month but not exceeding 2 months from the date of reference of the application to the Examiner for examination by the Controller, and further, the final disposal of the application is to be taken within 3 months of filing of response to the First Examination Report.

In India, patent offices initiated the expedited examination process in 2016 and, using this expedited examination process, many startups in India, including Optimus Pharma Pvt. Ltd., a Hyderabad based company, were able to get the patents granted within a record time of almost 10 months. The startup got a patent process of Apixaban, an anti-coagulant, in record time of almost 4 months under the expedited examination process. Such diminution in time will for sure help in cost efficiencies related to the management of a patent application up to their grant.

To provide the high demand of request for expedited examination of patent applications, IPO has also recently employed more than 250 patent examiners, affecting a substantial increase in the number of existing patent examiners. With this increase in the number of employed patent examiners, the period of ordinary patent examination is substantially declined to 2-3 years, which used to be almost 6-7 years and sometimes even more.

International Patent Applications filed in India under National Phase before the Indian Patent Office

A PCT international patent application under the Patent Cooperation Treaty can be filed before the Indian Patent Office before the expiry of 31 months from the priority date of the patent application. The complete patent specification should be filed along with Form 1.

In case, the language of the international patent application is in any other foreign language other than English, it has to be translated in English and the translated English copy has to be duly verified by the patent applicant or the person duly authorised by him that the contents thereof are correct and complete.

The patent translation of the international application should include the following details:

i. the patent description;
ii. the patent claims as filed;
iii. any text matter of the drawings;
iv. the patent abstract; and
v. in case the applicant has not elected India and if the claims have been amended under Article 19, then the amended claims together with any statement filed under the said Article;
vi. in case the patent applicant has elected India and any amendments to the description, the patent claims and text matter of the drawings that are annexed to the international preliminary examination report.

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Provisional Patent Filing

Provisional patent application is filed when the invention is not fully ready. A well drafted provisional patent provides patent pending rights to establish inventorship and patent ownership as patent office follows first to file approach to determine the true inventor of a patent covering new idea or product.

Formulating a sound patent strategy for your technology driven company is very important in the current era. Across the globe, the in-house patent counsels, heads of research departments, tech based startups and inventors file a preliminary patent application for their invention / idea before the patent office and is known as provisional patent application.

How to Patent a Product?

It is extremely common for the inventors to ask this question about patenting a novel and inventive product. The first and foremost requirement for inventors while planning for patent process is to maintain proper records of their invention. In essence, laboratory notebooks, idea related documentation, technical specification and other details should be recorded with date, which can establish clear inventorship and ownership of the invention at a later date. It is common for the inventors to docket each and every step of the inventive process, inventive product and novel aspects of the invention, with a view to determine the patentability or patent eligibility of the invention.

Subsequently, a detailed and thorough patent search is conducted to determine the relevant prior art, which can challenge the novelty and inventive step (non-obviousness) of the invention. While conducting a patent search, the patent searcher or the patent attorney conducts detailed patent search and analysis across various databases, such as, for example, Google Patents, USPTO Patent Database, EPO, UKIPO, JPO etc. Such patent search is conducted by forming multiple patent search strings and using these strings in different combinations by using boolean operators like AND, OR etc.

How much does it cost to file a patent?

The cost of filing a patent and obtaining patent rights depend upon multiple steps. The patent filing process begins by engaging a patent attorney, who charges a fee for conducting a patent search and drafting a patent application, which may be a provisional patent application (PPA) followed by a non-provisional patent application (NPA), or a NPA directly. The professional charges for patent searching and patent drafting by a competent patent attorney may be in the range of 2000$ to 8000$, or maybe upwards depending upon the jurisdiction of the patent and experience of the patent lawyer. Additional component to calculate the patent cost includes official filing fee, which again varies for each jurisdiction and is further dependent upon the category of the patent applicant, i.e. one or more natural person(s) or one or more legal entities.

Once a patent application is filed, additional cost is required to maintain the pending patent application, and once the patent office issues a patent office action or a patent examination report, further cost is incurred for responding to such objections by way of patent office action response. Thereafter, once the patent prosecution process is complete, patent renewal fee is required to be paid at regular intervals during the term of the patent. Hence, as may be seen, the total cost of a patent depends upon multiple steps, subject to the jurisdiction and requirements specified by the local patent office.

How do you patent an idea or a product?

To protect a new idea or a new product, a well crafted patent strategy is required that ensures that the new idea or the new product is not infringed by third parties. One important point to be considered is that patent laws across various countries or jurisdictions require that a patent application must be filed before disclosing or discussing the idea publicly. This is so because once a new idea is shared publicly without filing a patent application, it becomes public knowledge and anyone is free to execute the idea.

How do I turn my idea into a product?

Successful conversion of new ideas into products requires detailed market research, development of prototypes and appropriate patent marketing. Operationally, patent licensing opportunities can be determined by conducting thorough studies about market potential, financial and technical due diligence, regulatory analysis and SWOT analysis.

What is a provisional patent application?

The provisional patent application is a legal document filed before the patent office (For example, United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Indian Patent Office (IPO) or any other patent office.) If a US national is filing patent before the USPTO, the patent application would be known as U.S. national patent application having validity in U.S. alone. Even though, formal set of patent claims are not mandatory in the provisional patent filing we recommend our clients to write a broad set of patent claims in the provisional patent application.

However, in order to obtain a granted patent, the patent applicant must fully and particularly describe the invention in detail and describe the best mode in a complete specification. It is important to remember the deadline for filing Non-provisional patent application. Once the Non-provisional patent application in filed in the home country, one can file international PCT patent before the WIPO.

Frequently Asked Questions by Inventors

Why is priority date of patent claims of a complete patent specification important?

Priority date implies the earliest date from which the patent rights begin, and while determining the term of a patent or during patent infringement lawsuits, the priority date plays a crucial role.

Why to file a provisional patent application before filing a non-provisional patent specification

It is common for inventors to develop prototypes and pen down ideas during early stages before finalising the exact features of the invention. To ensure appropriate protection during this period, and to establish ownership by creating patent pending rights, it is important for the inventors to file a provisional patent application.

Provisional Patent Application

A provisional application is a summary of the invention and is filed to protect the invention at its early stage.

Since 8th June, 1995, U.S Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has provided inventors the choice of filing a provisional application for patent which was intended to provide a lower-cost prior patent filing within the United States and to administer U.S. applicants equality with foreign applicants under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) Uruguay Round Agreements.

If an applicant has filed the a Provisional Patent Application for grant of patent he/she has to file the Non-Provisional/Complete Patent Application filed under U.S. Code § 111 of Title 35, within a period of 12 months from the date of filing of the provisional application or else the application will be considered to be abandoned. The pendency period of 12 months cannot be extended, but if the Non-Provisional/Complete Patent Application is filed after 14 months of filing the Provisional Patent Application, such application may be accepted by filing a grantable petition (including a statement that the delay in filing the Non-Provisional/Complete Patent Application was not deliberate and the required petition fee has been paid) to reinstate the advantages under 37 CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) 1.78.

Non-Provisional/Complete Patents v. Provisional Patents

> Non-Provisional/Complete Patents are most undeviating and therefore, the shortest path to grant of patents, whereas, Provisional Patents have a much lower cost of applying as compared to Non-Provisional/Complete Patents.

> A Non-Provisional/Complete Patents is good for inventions that have a short half life much like electronics and software which are about to be launched into the market, whereas, Provisional Patents are good for inventions that take time for R&D and thus needs to be kept under wraps by getting an additional year for filing for grant of the patent with complete specifications of the patent.

> In case the applicant wants to make additions after filling for Non-Provisional/Complete Patents, he/she has to do it by re-filing those addition inventions, whereas in Provisional Patents, the applicant has one whole year to make all the changes he/she wants in the patent and it also benefits the applicant by addition one extra year to the patent life (i.e., from 20 years to 21 years).

> One can only file his/her patents application as Non-Provisional/Complete Patent, in one time, whereas multiple Provisional Patent Applications may be filed by the applicant and be considered as one at the end of one year.

Limitation of Provisional Patent Applications

With some benefits, the Provisional Patents also attract certain limitations which are as follows:

1) The Provisional Patents Applications cost more than Complete Applications since the effort put in is double.

2) Even though the patent specifications will be kept from public record, the invention will has to be disclosed.

3) In case the applicant misses the one year deadline of filing the Non-Provisional/Complete Patent Application, the application will be considered as abandoned.

Filing of Provisional Patents Applications

A filing date will be granted to a Provisional Patent Application only when it contains a written description of the invention, fulfilling with all requirements of U.S. Code § 112(a) of Title 35.

The USPTO provides the following two documents for filing of Provisional Patent Application which have to be filled by either the applicant himself or his/her legal representative:

* Provisional Cover Sheet identifying;

* the application as a provisional application for patent;

* the name(s) of all inventors;

* inventor residence(s);

* title of the invention;

* name and registration number of attorney or agent and docket number (if applicable);

* correspondence address; and

* any U.S. Government agency that has a property interest in the application.

* Fee Transmittal Form as set forth in 37 CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) 1.16(d)

The provisional application (written description and drawings), filing fee and cover sheet can be filed electronically using EFS-Web or filed by mail.

Electronically Using EFS-Web: The provisional application can be filed electronically only if EFS-Web is used. EFS-Web permits patent applications, together with provisional applications, to be filed safely via the Internet. Applicants prepare documents in Portable Document Format (PDF), attach the documents, authenticate that the PDF documents will be well-matched with USPTO internal automated information systems, submit the documents, and pay fees with real-time payment processing. When fillable EFS-Web forms are used, the data entered into the forms is robotically loaded into USPTO information systems. Further information on EFS-Web is available here.

By Mail: The provisional application and filing fee can be mailed to:

Commissioner for Patents

P.O. Box 1450

Alexandria, VA 22313-145

USPTO Patent Filing

What information to include in a provisional patent application while filing it before US patent office USPTO ?

Many a times, our patent clients ask about what all information we should provide which can be included in the provisional patent application. However, it is a known fact that you get protection for matter you disclose in the patent application. Having said that, it is important to include as much technical information as possible in the provisional patent disclosure.

The provisional patent application should describe the nature of invention & contain the description of essential elements of the invention. A provisional patent application with detailed explanation provides a good skeleton for the patent attorney to convert it into a utility / non-provisional patent application.

For example, a start-up research company is in phase I for making a new antibody to a particular antigen, but lack finances to actually create the antibody itself. Generally, in such a scenario the start-up research company will pitch the idea to the venture capital entities in exchange for the monetary funds needed to create the antibody. It is advisable for the start-up research company to first file a provisional patent application that includes details about the particular antigen and novel description for the same. More details of the main elements should be included in the provisional patent application.

If no commercial viability of the idea, no need to file non-provisional patent application

Patent Research Services

As a patent centric firm managed by highly experienced patent attorneys and patent lawyers, we retrieve and provide clients with strong patentability analysis reports in addition to provisional patent application drafting, which can save time and money during the entire patent process. Such thorough patent research is aligned with the business strategy and corporate evaluations of the clients, so that potentially strong patent applications are filed to create a valuable patent portfolio, thereby adding to the intangible assets owned by the clients.

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ITPAS (Ideas to Patents and Strategy), is an innovative business program to create and bring new products to markets across the globe, as reported by New York Time News. By expediting the process of creating valuable patents, global inventors and innovative business owners can define the title and ownership of creative business models, which can further be patented across multiple jurisdictions (US, Europe, Asia Pacific), subject to the patent eligibility criteria.

Importance of Patents

Historically, patents have added immense value to technology based products, thereby increasing revenues and creating healthy competition in the industry. For example, a new product may be launched with a first-to-market advantage, which can easily be replicated and knocked off the shelves by the competitors. Therefore, without appropriate patent protection, the revenue of original product owner may reduce. On the contrary, by drafting and filing strong patent applications, the original product owner can stop third parties from infringing upon its patents and further exploit licensing revenues from a strong patent portfolio.

Benefits of Patents

Patent laws across multiple jurisdictions include marking requirement in one form or another, which requires the patent applicants and patent owners to mark the product as “Patent Pending” or “Patented”. In case of physical products, patent number or registered design number can be stamped or marked. In essence, such marking requirements provide additional advantages to patent owners as these act as a supplementary marketing tool for the companies.

Patent Attorney in New York

Top rated and highly experienced patent lawyers in New York can be found by searching USPTO database or by reviewing patent law firms comprising patent attorneys (patent agents) registered to practice before USPTO. Inventors in New York can personally interview multiple patent lawyers before selecting the patent attorney best suited to address their needs. Clients can also explore cities in the vicinity of New York, including, Brooklyn, Cedarhurst, Elizabeth, Garden City, Flushing, Bronx, Jamaica, Staten Island, Hackensack etc. and can also research patent attorneys practicing related areas, like Intellectual Property, Copyrights, Trademarks, Trade Secrets, Cyber Laws, Technology Laws, and the like.

Technology Development in New York

As it is well known, New York is the financial, business, trademark, and fashion focal point of the world, and hence, many global businesses and financial corporations are headquartered there. New York is a great place to launch innovative products due to the tech savvy residents. Recently, it was reported that a mobile application has been launched to apply for Food Stamps in New York. It is well known that about 1.7 million people in New York City receive food stamps and to qualify, they must produce dozens of documents to prove their eligibility, including birth certificates, pay stubs, leases and children’s school records. It is really problematic to gather, copy and bring the documents to a social services office, and then wait to be seen by a worker. New York city’s welfare agency, the Human Resources Administration, plans to ease this step with the help of a new cellphone app, wherein those seeking food stamps can take pictures of the required documents with their phones and upload the photos to the mobile application.

This case study is about IP services provided to a client in the domain of cloud telephony. Specifically, the cloud telephony company developed an innovative technology product and this case study provides a reference for patent attorneys and intellectual property law firms worldwide.

Cloud Telephony Product – Innovative Technology

Task – IP Protection

Client wanted to protect overall intellectual property (IP) associated with the innovative product, including the technology powering the product, corresponding product and / or service embodiments, and related aspects of intellectual property rights (IPR).

Patent Portfolio – Creation and Development

The first step executed was to create a patent portfolio by drafting and filing multiple patent applications covering different embodiments of the innovative product. The aim of creating patent portfolio was to add value to the company’s intangible assets by developing the patent portfolio into an asset with global execution potential by way of patent licensing and patent assignment.

The patent portfolio included patent applications having claims protecting broad level scope to cover overall technology and corresponding aspects embodied over the wireless network. For example, the parent patent application claimed features to connect users of the product in a secure environment.

Patent Filing vs. Product Launch

Considering the fact that the innovative technology could be applied across multiple industry sectors, parent patent application was filed well ahead of the product launch date and subsequent patent applications were filed in a timely manner in-sync with the subsequent versions and features of the technology product.

Patent Strategy

An accelerated patent strategy was formulated for the client with a view to achieve timely and enforceable patent protection across multiple jurisdictions based on the business interests of the client. Consequently, a strong patent portfolio was created and developed across different countries by way of international patent filings (PCT International Phase Patent Filing, PCT National Phase Patent Filing, Paris Convention). By taking advantage of the patent cooperation treaty (PCT) as per the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organisation), patent filing procedure across different patent offices was streamlined by bringing together a strong network of international patent attorneys to work on the project.

Brand Protection – Trademark Registrations

In addition to patent protection, multiple brands associated with the product were protected by filing applications for domestic and international trademark trademark registrations. International brand protection was achieved by way of Madrid system, which includes Madrid Protocol, which is related to Madrid Agreement, an international treaty to facilitate international registration of trademarks and management of trademark applications.

Conclusion

Therefore, as may be seen, different aspects of intellectual property rights can be protected by collectively filing multiple patent and trademark applications, both domestically and internationally.

Rahul Dev, Partner at the law firm of Tech Corp Legal LLP, is a patent attorney and international technology business lawyer. Dev’s corporate law practice is aimed at integrating patents, technology laws, intellectual property rights, regulatory and security laws to provide services to Tech companies.